StatsNZ today on September 2020 data:
The total fertility rate was 1.63, the lowest on record in New Zealand.
This trend began in 2008. There have been 12 straight years of falling fertility which includes Maori fertility.
Some will welcome this fall. I don't. The essence of life is procreation and family. Used to be, grandchildren living overseas was a major regret for my generation. Soon it will be, no grandchildren at all.
The main reasons for the decline are females putting off having children until their thirties. The window gets smaller and conceiving gets harder.
And more females are remaining childless by choice.
The trend is a major demographic development mirrored across the developed world and being slowly echoed in India and very faintly echoed in the African continent. Countries that don't have falling TFRs are experiencing only slight upturns (from already low rates) due to aggressive fertility encouragement policies. When I last looked Hungary and Japan were two but both are still under New Zealand's current level.
2 comments:
In the words of Mark Steyn, "the future belongs to those who show up for it."
It's a bit of a gross reflection, but have a quick search for suicide rates by country. Poor countries have less reason to top themselves. The west has been infected by a loss of meaning. It has been bombarded by propaganda attacking its very culture for many years, and the fruits are bitter. I think we elect the politicians we deserve, and we have as many children as we deserve too. If all are focused on the rainbow, abortion, career, mammon, of course the kids are going to suffer. Families have been robbed of their mothers by the unholy mantra being forced on girls and women from a young age - get that CEO career you deserve by toiling in a grey windowless cubicle for your best years. This is the great flaw. Love of mammon. The culture has been twisted so that we all only seem to desire mammon, good rate of return, to the detriment of our capacity to wonder, and dream for our children. Of course the solution is simple, but not easy, reject debt and love of money.
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